French antitrust regulators have fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) for its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, which has faced European scrutiny.
The French Competition Authority ruled that Apple’s implementation of ATT was “neither necessary nor proportionate” to its stated goal of protecting user privacy.
The watchdog also found that ATT penalized third-party publishers, potentially giving Apple an unfair advantage in the digital advertising market.
As part of the ruling, Apple must display the decision on its website for seven days.
What Is ATT and Why Is It Controversial?
Introduced in 2021, ATT requires apps to ask users for permission before tracking their activity across other apps and websites. If a user declines, apps lose access to Apple’s advertising identifier, making targeted ads less effective.
While Apple promotes ATT as a privacy safeguard, critics—including regulators in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland—argue that it restricts competitors while allowing Apple to benefit from its own advertising business.
Apple has yet to respond to the ruling but is expected to appeal.
